Tribological and tribochemical properties of magnetite nanoflakes as additives in oil lubricants

This detailed the tribological and tribochemical properties of magnetite (Fe₃O₄) nanoflakes used as additives in ^#40 base oil in a four-ball tribo-tester. The average friction coefficient of the friction pair for lubricant containing the Fe₃O₄ nanoflakes of 1.5 wt% as a lubricant additive in the base oil is decreased by 18.06% compared to that of solely base oil. The chemical composition of base oil with the Fe₃O₄ nanoflake additives did not change during the 48-h friction assessment. The decreased saturation magnetization and increased coercivity of magnetite nanoflakes occurred due to the distortion of the basal planes and the presence of hematite (α-Fe₂O₃) generated by the tribochemical reactions during the friction process. The multi-layer low-shear-stress tribochemical lubrication films on the surface of the friction pair could form because the nanoflake particles arrange and adhere onto the surface of the friction pair in an orderly manner, and the tribochemical reactions of the friction pair in the presence of the nanoflakes occur as Fe → FeO → Fe₃O₄ → γ-FeOOH → γ-Fe₂O₃ → α-Fe₂O₃. The formation of the films can improve the tribological properties.     

典型微藻生物油的润滑性能和作用机理研究

鉴于对生物质能源的需求日益增长,将典型微藻生物油添加到CD 15W-40柴油机油中实现部分替代.采用四球摩擦磨损试验机考察了生物油的润滑性能,利用现代表面分析技术探讨了其作用机理.结果表明:微藻生物油有很好的润滑效果;随柴油机油中生物油添加量的增大,摩擦系数逐渐降低、钢球磨斑直径先减小后增大;当生物油的添加质量百分数为10%时,柴油机油的摩擦学性能较优.其中,利用La2O3催化液化制备的生物油的润滑性能优于直接液化制备的生物油,能显著降低摩擦系数和钢球磨斑直径.就润滑机理而言,润滑油中的含C、N有机物在摩擦副接触表面吸附、沉积形成润滑膜,同时摩擦副滑动表面经摩擦化学反应生成由Fe2O3和FeN组成的保护膜,从而起到良好的润滑防护作用.相关研究结果可望为拓展生物油的应用提供参考.     

Magnetic and electrochemical behavior of rhombohedral α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles with (1 0 4) dominant facets

Uniform rhombohedral α-Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles, ～60 nm in size, were synthesized via a triphenylphosphine-assisted hydrothermal method. Scanning electron micrograph (SEM) and transmission electron micrograph (TEM) analyses showed that the as-synthesized rhombohedral nanoparticles were enclosed by six (1 0 4) planes. The concentration of triphenylphosphine played an important role in morphological evolution of the α-Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles. The as-prepared rhombohedral nanoparticles possessed remanent magnetization M_r of 2.6 × 10^?3 emu/g and coercivity H_C of 2.05 Oe, both lower than those of other α-Fe₂O₃ particles with similar size, indicating their potential applications as superparamagnetic precursor materials. Furthermore, these rhombohedral α-Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles exhibited good sensor capability toward H₂O₂ with a linear response in the concentration range of 2–20 mM.     

Experimental studies on heat transfer and friction factor characteristics of Al2O3/water nanofluid in a circular pipe under laminar flow with wire coil inserts

In this paper, fully developed laminar flow convective heat transfer and friction factor characteristics of Al₂O₃/water nanofluid flowing through a uniformly heated horizontal tube with and without wire coil inserts is presented. For this purpose, Al₂O₃ nanoparticles of 43 nm size were synthesized, characterized and dispersed in distilled water to form stable suspension containing 0.1% volume concentration of nanoparticles. The Nusselt number in the fully developed region were measured and found to increase by 12.24% at Re = 2275 for plain tube with nanofluid compared to distilled water. Two wire coil inserts made of stainless steel with pitch ratios 2 and 3 were used which increased the Nusselt numbers by 15.91% and 21.53% respectively at Re = 2275 with nanofluid compared to distilled water. The better heat transfer performance of nanofluid with wire coil insert is attributed to the effects of dispersion or back-mixing which flattens the temperature distribution and make the temperature gradient between the fluid and wall steeper. The measured pressure loss with the use of nanofluids is almost equal to that of the distilled water. The empirical correlations developed for Nusselt number and friction factor in terms of Reynolds/Peclet number, pitch ratio and volume concentration fits with the experimental data within ±15%.     

Micro fibrous entrapped ZnO-CaO/A1203 for high efficiency hydrogen production via methanol steam reforming

Sinter-locked microfibrous networks consisting of -3 vol.% of 8 p.m （dia.） nickel microfibers have been utilized to entrap -30vo1.% of 100-200 μm dia. porous AI203. ZnO and CaO were then highly dispersed onto the pore surface of entrapped A1203 by the incipient wetness impregnation method. Due to the unique combination of surface area, pore size/particle size, thermal conductivity, and void volume, the resulting microfibrous catalyst composites provided significant improvement of catalytic bed reactivity and utilization efficiency when used in methanol steam reforming. Roughly 260 mL/min of reformate, comprising 〉70% H2, 〈5% CO and trace CH4, with 〉97% methanol conversion, could be produced in a I cm3 bed volume of our novel microfihrous entrapped ZnO-CaO/Al2O3 catalyst composite at 470℃ with a high weight hourly space velocity （WHSV） of 15 h-1 using steam/methanol （1.3/1） mixture as feedstock. Compared to a packed bed of 100-200μm ZnO-CaO/Al2O3, our composite bed provided a doubling of the reactor throughput with a halving of catalyst usage.     

Synthesis of mesoporous γ-AlOOH@Fe3O4 magnetic nanomicrospheres

Mesoporous γ-AlOOH@Fe₃O₄ magnetic nanomicrospheres were synthesized using superparamagnetic Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles as the core and aluminum isopropoxide (AIP) as the aluminum source. The obtained magnetic nanomicrospheres were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), N₂ adsorption–desorption and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM). The effects of preparation parameters such as hydrolysis time of AIP, concentration of AIP and coating layer number on microspheres were investigated. The results indicated that the mesoporous γ-AlOOH@Fe₃O₄ magnetic nanomicrospheres consisted of a mesoporous γ-AlOOH shell and a Fe₃O₄ magnetic core. The diameter of γ-AlOOH@Fe₃O₄ nanomicrospheres was about 200 nm, the thickness of mesoporous γ-AlOOH shell was about 5 nm and the average pore size was 3.8 nm. The thickness of the mesoporous γ-AlOOH shell could be controlled via layer-by-layer coating times. The formation mechanism of the mesoporous γ-AlOOH shell involved a “chemisorption–hydrolysis” process.     

Experimental investigations and theoretical determination of thermal conductivity and viscosity of Al2O3/water nanofluid

Experimental investigations and theoretical determination of effective thermal conductivity and viscosity of Al₂O₃/H₂O nanofluid are reported in this paper. The nanofluid was prepared by synthesizing Al₂O₃ nanoparticles using microwave assisted chemical precipitation method, and then dispersing them in distilled water using a sonicator. Al₂O₃/water nanofluid with a nominal diameter of 43 nm at different volume concentrations (0.33–5%) at room temperature were used for the investigation. The thermal conductivity and viscosity of nanofluids are measured and it is found that the viscosity increase is substantially higher than the increase in thermal conductivity. Both the thermal conductivity and viscosity of nanofluids increase with the nanoparticle volume concentration. Theoretical models are developed to predict thermal conductivity and viscosity of nanofluids without resorting to the well established Maxwell and Einstein models, respectively. The proposed models show reasonably good agreement with our experimental results.     

Highly dispersed Mn2O3 microspheres: Facile solvothermal synthesis and their application as Li-ion battery anodes

Nanostructured transition metal oxides are promising alternative anodes for lithium ion batteries. Li-ion storage performance is expected to improve if high packing density energy particles are available. Herein, Mn₂O₃ microspheres with a ca. 18 μm diameter and a tapped density of 1.33 g/cm³ were synthesized by a facile solvothermal–thermal coversion route. Spherical MnCO₃ precursors were obtained through solvothermal treatment and they decomposed and converted into Mn₂O₃ microspheres at an annealing temperature of 700 °C. The Mn₂O₃ microspheres consisted of Mn₂O₃ nanoparticles with an average 40 nm diameter. These porous Mn₂O₃ microspheres allow good electrolyte penetration and provide an ion buffer reservoir to ensure a constant electrolyte supply. The Mn₂O₃ microspheres have reversible capacities of 590 and 320 mAh/g at 50 and 400 mA/g, respectively. We thus report an efficient route for the fabrication of energy particles for advanced energy storage.     

Measurements of ultrafine particles from a gas-turbine burning biofuels

Measurements of ultrafine particles have been performed at the exhaust of a low emission microturbine for power generation. This device has been fuelled with liquid fuels, including a commercial diesel oil, a mixture of the diesel oil with a biodiesel and kerosene, and tested under different loads. Primarily attention has been focused on the measurements of the size distribution functions of the particles emitted from the system by using particle differential mobility analysis. A bimodal size distribution function of the particle emitted has been found in all the examined conditions. Burning diesel oil, the first mode of the size distribution function of the combustion-formed particles is centered at around 2–3 nm, whereas the second mode is centered at about 20–30 nm. The increase of the turbine load and the addition of 50% of biodiesel has not caused changes in the shape of size distribution of the particles. A slightly decrease of the amount of particle formed has been found. By using kerosene the amount of emitted particles increases of more than one order of magnitude. Also the shape of the size distribution function changes with the first mode shifted towards larger particles of the order of 8–10 nm but with a lower emission of larger 20–30 nm particles. Overall, in this conditions, the mass concentration of particles is increased respect to the diesel oil operation. Particle sizes measured with the diesel oil have been compared with the results on a diesel engine operated in the same power conditions and with the same fuel. Measurements have showed that the mean sizes of the formed particles do not change in the two combustion systems. However, diesel engine emits a number concentration of particles more than two orders of magnitude higher in the same conditions of power and with the same fuel. By running the engine in more premixed-like conditions, the size distribution function of the particles approaches that measured by burning kerosene in the microturbine indicating that the distribution function of the sizes of the emitted particles can be strongly affected by combustion conditions.     

Effects of multi-dopants (Zn and Ho) in stabilizing spinel structure for cathode materials in lithium rechargeable batteries—Novel chelated sol–gel synthesis

Multi-doped spinels, namely LiMn₂O₄ and LiZn_xHo_yMn_2−x−yO₄ (x = 0.10–0.18; y = 0.02–0.10), for use as cathode materials for lithium-ion rechargeable batteries were synthesized via sol–gel method, using lauric acid as the chelating agent, to obtain micron-sized particles. The physical properties of the synthesized samples were investigated using differential thermal analysis, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, and electrochemical methods. XRD showed that LiMn₂O₄ and LiZn_xHo_yMn_2−x−yO₄ have high degrees of crystallinity and good phase purities. The SEM images of LiMn₂O₄ showed an ice-cube morphology with particles of size 1 μm. Charge–discharge studies showed that undoped LiMn₂O₄ delivered the discharge capacity of 124 mA h/g with coulombic efficiency of 95% during the first cycle, whereas doped spinels delivered discharge capacities of 125, 120, and 127 mA h/g in the first cycle with coulombic efficiencies of 96%, 91%, and 91%, respectively.     

Viscosity of alumina nanoparticles dispersed in car engine coolant

The present paper, describes our experimental results on the viscosity of the nanofluid prepared by dispersing alumina nanoparticles (<50 nm) in commercial car coolant. The nanofluid prepared with calculated amount of oleic acid (surfactant) was tested to be stable for more than 80 days. The viscosity of the nanofluids is measured both as a function of alumina volume fraction and temperature between 10 and 50 °C. While the pure base fluid display Newtonian behavior over the measured temperature, it transforms to a non-Newtonian fluid with addition of a small amount of alumina nanoparticles. Our results show that viscosity of the nanofluid increases with increasing nanoparticle concentration and decreases with increase in temperature. Most of the frequently used classical models severely under predict the measured viscosity. Volume fraction dependence of the nanofluid viscosity, however, is predicted fairly well on the basis of a recently reported theoretical model for nanofluids that takes into account the effect of Brownian motion of nanoparticles in the nanofluid. The temperature dependence of the viscosity of engine coolant based alumina nanofluids obeys the empirical correlation of the type: log (μ_nf) = A exp(BT), proposed earlier by Namburu et al.     

Preparation and gas sensing performances of palladium surface-modified flower-like SnO2 nanopowders

Flower-like SnO2 nanopowders prepared by a hydrothermal method were surface modified with palla- dium via impregnation. The crystal structure, morphology, and surface chemistry states of the samples were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction （XRD）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS）, respectively. The gas sensing performances were also investigated. For a hydrothermal temperature of 220 ℃, flower-like SnO2 nanoparticles consist of nanorods with diameters of 40 nm and lengths of 100 nm. The XPS and XRD results reveal that palladium exists in the Pd0 chemical state but the crystal is too small to be detected. The 0.3 wt% Pd modified SnO2 sensor shows better sensi- tivity, up to 21, for 70 μL/L ethanol gas at an optimal working temperature of 250 ℃. The quick response time （3 s） and fast recovery time （-20 s） are the main characteristics of this sensor.     

Green synthesis and enhanced photocatalytic activity of Ce-doped TiO2 nanoparticles supported on porous glass

A facile and green method to prepare Ce-doped TiO₂ nanoparticles supported on porous glass beads is reported. An ion exchange process and subsequent calcination yielded Ce-doped TiO₂ nanoparticles with a mean size of 4.8 ± 0.3 nm. The nanoparticles were dispersed on the surface of porous glass beads. The addition of Ce enhanced the visible light absorption of the TiO₂ nanoparticles in the 400–500 nm spectral window. The band gap of the as-prepared catalyst was 2.80 eV. The Ce-doped TiO₂ nanoparticles immobilized on porous glass beads exhibited excellent photocatalytic activity for the visible-light-degradation of methyl orange (MO) and rhodamine B (RhB); with rate constants of 0.095 and 0.230 min⁻¹; respectively. The effects of Ce dosage; reaction duration; and initial solution pH on the conversion of MO and RhB dyes were investigated. The green synthesis and favorable photocatalytic activity makes the Ce-doped TiO₂ nanoparticles immobilized on porous glass an attractive alternative for the efficient degradation of organic pollutants.     

Preparation of nano-sized Al2O3–2SiO2 powder by sol–gel plus azeotropic distillation method

Nano-sized amorphous Al₂O₃–2SiO₂ powder was prepared by a sol–gel method coupled with azeotropic distillation. The structure of the powder was investigated by DTS, BET, TEM, FT-IR, TG-DTA and XRD, showing that n-butanol azeotropic distillation could effectively remove water from the aluminosilicate gels and prevent the formation of hard agglomerates in the drying process. The average particle diameter of the powder was about 70 nm. The largest BET specific surface area of the powder was 669 m²/g. To examine the alkali-activation reactivity of the powder, alkali-activation tests were performed with the powder reacting with sodium silicate solution. The synthetic powder was found to be highly reactive.     

Optimized synthesis and photovoltaic performance of TiO2 nanoparticles for dye-sensitized solar cell

This paper presents response surface methodology （RSM） as an efficient approach for modeling and optimizing TiO2 nanoparticles preparation via co-precipitation for dye-sensitized solar cell （DSSC） perfor- mance. Titanium （IV） bis-（acetylacetonate） di-isopropoxide （DIPBAT）, isopropanol and water were used as precursor, solvent and co-solvent, respectively. Molar ratio of water, aging temperature and calcina- tion temperature as preparation factors with main and interaction effects on particle characteristics and performances were investigated, Particle characteristics in terms of primary and secondary sizes, crys- tal orientation and morphology were determined by X-ray diffractometry （XRD） and scanning electron microscopy （SEM）. Band gap energy and power conversion efficiency of DSSCs were used for perfor- mance studies. According to analysis of variance （ANOVA） in response surface methodology （RSM）, all three independent parameters were statistically significant and the final model was accurate. The model predicted maximum power conversion efficiency （0.14%） under the optimal condition of molar ratio of DIPBAT-to-isopropanol-to-water of 1 ： 10：500, aging temperature of 36 C and calcination temperature of 400 ℃. A second set of data was adopted to validate the model at optimal conditions and was found to be 0.14 ± 0.015%, which was very close to the predicted value. This study proves the reliability of the model in identi（ving the optimal condition for maximum performance.     

Preparation and characterization of carbonyl iron/strontium hexaferrite magnetorheological fluids

The heat transfer oil-based magnetorheological fluid (MRF) was prepared using oleic acid-modified micron carbonyl iron powder as a magnetic dispersed phase and strontium hexaferrite (SrFe₁₂O₁₉) nanoparticles as an additive. The sedimentation stability of MRFs was studied. The results indicated that the stability of MRFs was improved remarkably by adding SrFe₁₂O₁₉ nanoparticles and the sedimentation ratio was only 0.88 in 20 days when the content of nanoparticles reached 10 wt%. The rheological properties were characterized by a HAAKE rheometer without a magnetic field and a capillary rheometer with and without a magnetic field. The effects of SrFe₁₂O₁₉ nanoparticles, the temperature, and magnetic field strength were investigated. In addition, the rheological properties could be predicted well using the improved Herschel–Bulkley model, even under a magnetic field. A theoretical model was also proposed to predict the yield stress based on the microstructure of the MRF under an applied magnetic field.     

Effect of calcining temperature and time on the characteristics of Sb-doped SnO2 nanoparticles synthesized by the sol–gel method

Spherical Sb-doped SnO₂ (ATO) nanoparticles were synthesized by the sol–gel route, employing SnCl₄·5H₂O and SbCl₃ as precursors in an ethanol solution. The influences of the calcining temperature and calcining time on the crystallite size, crystallinity, lattice parameters, lattice distortion ratio and the resistivity of the ATO nanoparticles were synthetically investigated. The results suggested that the ATO nanoparticles were crystallized in a tetragonal cassiterite structure of SnO₂ with a highly (1 1 0)-plane-preferred orientation. The calcining temperature had a dominating effect on the crystallite size, crystallinity, lattice distortion ratios and resistivity of the ATO. As the calcining temperature increased, the average crystallite size increased, the crystallinity was promoted accompanied by a decrease in the lattice distortion ratio and a corresponding decrease in the resistivity of the ATO. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometer (FTIR) analysis revealed that Sb ions could not entirely supplant the Sn ions in the SnO₂ lattice for a calcining time of less than 0.5 h, even at a calcining temperature of 1000 °C. The ATO nanoparticles calcined at 1000 °C for 3.0 h possessed the lowest resistivity of 10.18 Ω cm.     

Capture of phosphates in surface water by TiO2 nanoparticles under UV irradiation

The capture of orthophosphates and total phosphorus from the Pudong Canal river in the Pudong District of Shanghai by TiO₂ nanoparticles is studied using a rotating photoreactor and the nano-TiO₂ photocatalyst Degussa P25. The effects of UV irradiation intensity in a range of 20–74 mW/cm², the loading of the TiO₂ nanoparticles in a range of 0.05–0.1 g/L, irradiation time up to 4 h, and pH values in a range of 2–10.5 on the capture efficiency are investigated. The results show that the capture of orthophosphates and total P are significantly enhanced by UV irradiation; at a loading of 0.1 g/L and an irradiation intensity above 36 mW/cm², orthophosphates and total phosphorus are rapidly captured by TiO₂ nanoparticles, causing an observed reduction from 0.4 mg/L down to 0.02 mg/L. pH values in a range of 2–10.5 have little effect on the capture efficiency of orthophosphates and total phosphorus.     

Minimum spouting velocity of flat-base spouted fluid bed

Experiments were performed on spout characteristics of a cylindrical spout-fluidized bed (I.D. = 10 cm) with different static heights and two materials (Al₂O₃ and high density polyethylene). Results of minimum spouting velocity obtained in this study were compared with reported correlations for both spouted and spout-fluidized beds. Considerable discrepancies were found between the values obtained using different model equations as well as with respect to experimental results. Based on the Mathur–Gishler correlation, a new correlation is proposed for calculating the minimum spouting velocity that introduces the ratio U/U_mf. It was found that the minimum spouting velocity decreases with increasing fluidizing gas velocity (U/U_mf). The pressure drop at the point of minimum spouting velocity is also correlated using this dimensionless group and is presented in this work. This investigation demonstrates that the use of correlations reported in the literature that focus primarily on conical bottom spouted beds are not applicable to flat-bottom spouted and spout-fluidized beds.     

Solid-state synthesis of Li[Li0.2Mn0.56Ni0.16Co0.08]O2 cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries

Layered Li[Li_0.2Mn_0.56Ni_0.16Co_0.08]O₂ cathode materials were synthesized via a solid-state reaction for Li-ion batteries, in which lithium hydroxide monohydrate, manganese dioxide, nickel monoxide, and cobalt monoxide were employed as metal precursors. To uncover the relationship between the structure and electrochemical properties of the materials, synthesis conditions such as calcination temperature and time as well as quenching methods were investigated. For the synthesized Li[Li_0.2Mn_0.56Ni_0.16Co_0.08]O₂ materials, the metal components were found to be in the form of Mn⁴⁺, Ni²⁺, and Co³⁺, and their molar ratio was in good agreement with stoichiometric ratio of 0.56:0.16:0.08. Among them, the one synthesized at 800 °C for 12 h and subsequently quenched in air showed the best electrochemical performances, which had an initial discharge specific capacity and coulombic efficiency of 265.6 mAh/g and 84.0%, respectively, and when cycled at 0.5, 1, and 2 C, the corresponding discharge specific capacities were 237.3, 212.6, and 178.6 mAh/g, respectively. After recovered to 0.1 C rate, the discharge specific capacity became 259.5 mAh/g and the capacity loss was only 2.3% of the initial value at 0.1 C. This work suggests that the solid-state synthesis route is easy for preparing high performance Li[Li_0.2Mn_0.56Ni_0.16Co_0.08]O₂ cathode materials for Li-ion batteries.